Compact faint box for painting with water colors



Sept. 20, 1966 R. P. MOREAU E AL 3,273,700

COMPACT PAINT BOX FOR PAINTING WITH WATER COLORS Filed Jan. 6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 20, 1966 R. P. MOREAU ET AL 3,273,700

COMPACT PAINT BOX FOR PAINTING WITH WATER COLORS Filed Jan. 6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 c! Jm E L0 L N I I- J a 1:4

Sept- 1966 R. P. MOREAU ETAL 3,273,700

COMPACT PAINT BOX FOR PAINTING WITH WATER COLORS Filed Jan. 6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 20, 1966 p. MOREAU ET AL 3,273,700

COMPACT PAINT BOX FOR PAINTING WITH WATER COLORS Filed Jan. 6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent Ofiice 3,273,700 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 3,273,700 COMPACT PAINT BOX FOR PAINTING WITH WATER COLORS Ren Paul Moreau, Chantilly, Henri Charpentier and Pierre Ricart, Bury, and Pierre Boutevin, Mouy, France, assignors to Socit Anonyme dite: Socit Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements J. M. Paillard Filed Jan. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 335,856

Claims priority, application France, Jan. 11, 1963,

921,193, Patent 1,355,592; Mar. 29, 1963, 929,841,

Patent 1,360,379

2 Claims. (Cl. 2061.7)

It is well known that to paint with water colors it is quite useful to have a kit which, besides the required colors and brushes, comprises relatively large compartments for clean water and for rinsing-water as well as smaller compartments wherein the preparation of various colors is effected.

This invention provides an improved paint box associating together, in a particularly handy manner, the various accessories required to utilize water-colors. The present invention has for its object a novel paint-box or kit essentially characterized by the fact that it is comprised of the combination of the following elements:

(a) A receptacle in the form of a tray for supporting the colors, more especially tubes, and the brushes. Said device is divided into compartments by partitioning channels whose function will be discussed later. The bottom parts of said compartments may be slightly higher than the lowest part of the tray so that, when said paint-box is carried in a closed condition, the tubes have no tendency to be displaced in the box when they do not completely fill the space left between the bottom part of the tray and the underlying face of the member which will come into superposition with said tube carrying member.

(b) A receptacle divided into the above-mentioned large and small compartments for holding water and for color-mixing; said member may comprise one or several elements depending on whether the large and small compartments are carried side by side on the same member or on two separate members; in the case wherein one member carries the large compartments for containing water and wherein another member carries the small compartments for mixing colors, the latter member may be adjusted relatively to the former and is provided with an orifice giving access to the member divided into the large water holding compartments when said member is covered by the member divided into the small mixing compartments. One essential characteristic of said member divided into the large compartments is that it is located, when the paint box is in its closed condition, in the vicinity of the tube carrying member, that is just over or just under said tube carrying member.

A casing which may be formed by either of the abovementioned receptacles.

(cl) A cover which may be the receptacle for holding water.

Another essential characteristic of the present invention is that, in order that the paint box may have the smallest possible dimensions, the walls of the receptacle divided into the large compartments interfit into channels having the same contour as the abovementioned partitions arranged on the tube carrying tray.

Said channels open upwardly or downwardly depending on whether the tube carrying tray is located over or under the water carrying receptacle.

The present invention has also for its object a novel kit for utilizing water colors, said kit being essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises a receptacle such as described in paragraph (b).

To have a better understanding of the present inven tion two representative embodiments of said invention will now be described and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 correspond to a first embodiment wherein the compartmented receptacle for holding water comprises two separate elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the various component parts of said first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section taken along line IIII of FIG. 3 showing the same embodiment with the kit closed.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line III-III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section showing the kit of FIG. 1 in use.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 correspond to a second embodiment wherein the compartmented receptacle for holding water comprises a single element carrying side by side the large compartments for holding water and the small compartments for mixing colors.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a paint box arranged in conformance with the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5, with the paint box about to be closed.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIVII of FIG. 5, showing the pain-t box being in its closed condition.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an embodiment essential-1y comprising a receptacle 1 divided into large compartments for holding water, a tube and brush carrying tray 2, a receptacle 3 divided into small compartments for mixing paint and a cover 4.

The receptacle 1 has the shape of a parallellopiped and includes partitions 5, 6 and 7 which divide it into four compartments.

The tray 2 is so dimensioned that it can be placed inside the receptacle 1. It includes channel members 5a, serving as partitions and 6a and 7a, opening downwards, whose height is such that partitions 5, 6 and 7 on the member 1 interfit within said channel members, so that the tray 2 seats upon the bottom of the receptacle 1, as illustrated on FIGS. 2 and 3.

The tube carrier 2 includes two tabs or ears 8 and 9 which permit easy removal thereof when it has been placed within said water basin carrier.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 illustrate how the color tubes 10 and brushes 11 are carried on the tube and brush carrier 2.

It is to be understood that, without going out of the scope of the invention, thin slabs of colors could be placed on the tube carrier 1.

The small color mixing compartments 12 are formed in a rectangular plate, which includes, in conformance with the present invention, a central opening 13. The cover 4 has such dimensions that it can be fitted over, the receptacle 1.

FIGS. 2 and 3 clearly show how the tube carrier 2 is placed in the receptacle 1 and the way the edge 15 with projecting edge 15a of the plate 3 provided with small color mixing compartments seat upon the top part of the receptacle 1, the paint-box assembly being closed by cover 4.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing how the kit or paint-box for water color painting is used, said kit being formed by the assembly of the receptacle 1 and the plate 3.

After having poured water in the various compartmen'ts of the receptacle 1, the plate 3 is placed upon said receptacle 1; said plate 3 has small compartments 1-2 for mixing colors and orifice 13 therein provides access for brush 14 to the various compartments of receptacle 1.

Said device provides the great advantage of keeping the water in a practically closed receptacle, thus avoiding the splattering of Water, which is particularly important 'When'the paint-box is utilized by the younger class of users.

Moreover, the wet brush may be brought over any of the small compartments in receptacle 1 without risking the dropping of water outside of the plate 3.

Aneasy access from the water in receptacle 1 is also provided to the various small compartments in plate 3.

It can be seen that the paint box such as described in the present, embodiment is most compact and enables the user to efiect most easily all the operations required for Water color painting.

It is well understood that the water color kit and the compartments of the receptacle 1 and the plate 3 may have dilferent shapes. It is also possible to place over the tube carrier other accessories than those represented.

As an alternative, there will now be described a second embodiment of our water color painting kit.

Said alternate embodiment is shown on FIG. 5. The kit comprises a tube and brush carrier 2 which forms the casing of the kit, which includes an elongated compartment 1 1 intended for brushes 14, said compartment extending along the whole length of the casing.

It will be noticed also that compartments 2a, 2b, 2c intended for carrying the tubes of colors are separated by partitions defining channels 5a, 6a, 7a which open upwardly, said channels receiving, while the kit is closed, partitions 5, 6 and 7 of the container carrier.

Channels 5a, 6a, 7a are free of obstruction and extend as far as the bottom part of the tube carrier 2. The receptacle 1 forms the cover; said receptacle 1 includes three large compartments for holding water. 16a, 16b, 16c having the same dimensions as the tube compartments 2a 2b, 20, so thatpartitions 5, 6- and 7 of said water basins interfit with channels 5a, 6a, 7a.

The small compartments 12 intended for mixing the colors are sufficiently shallow to be placed over brush compartment 11 to avoid providing a special encasing therefor.

As represented on FIGS. 6 and 7, the bottoms 17b and 17c of the compartments 2b and 20 which are intended to contain small diameter tubes, are raised relatively to the bottom of the tube carrier 1, so as to reduce to a minimum the free space between tubes contained in said compartments and the bottom 1a of cover 1, so that while the closed kit is transported, the tubes have no tendency to be displaced.

It can thus be seen that in the above described second embodiment of the invention, it is possible to provide a water color painting kit whose thickness, in a closed condition, is little greater than the thickness of the cover which is divided into the water holding compartments, due to the fact that the walls of said cover fit into the channels of the tube carrier member.

It is well understood that the various embodiments herein disclosed are purely illustrative and in no way limitative and may be modified without going out of the scope of the invention; more particularly, it is to be understood that a water color paint kit according to the present invention may be advantageously made of plastic material, as well as of any other material.

It is well understood also that a water color paint kit arranged in conformance with the present invention may contain other types of colors than those contained in tubes, and, in particular, water colors in tablet form. In a similar manner, the water holding compartments thereof may be differently arranged from those discussed in the two above-mentioned embodiments and include only one water holding compartment, so as to increase the sruface for spreading the colors on the inside face of the cover.

What we claim is:

1. A paint box comprising at least two separable receptacles, one of which is a tray dimensioned to be a close sliding fi't within the other, each receptacle being divided into a plurality of compartments, the compartments of said other receptacle being separated from each other by partition means and the compartments of said tray being separated from each other by means which define channels positioned to receive the partition means in said other receptacle, at least some of the compartments in said tray being dimensioned to receive paint tubes, said partition and channel defining means being of substantially equal depth, so that substantially the full height of said partitions is received within said channels when said tray is fitted into said other receptacle, said box comprising also .a plate dimensioned to fit within said other receptacle, said plate being formed with a plurality of depressions separated by double Walls which define channels positioned to partially receive the channel-defining means on said tray when said plate is positioned within said other receptacle above said tray, and to partially receive said partition means when said plate is positioned in said other receptacle in the absence of said tray.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which said plate is formed with an orifice through which a brush may be inserted into any of the compartments in said other receptacle in the absence of said tray.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,517,164 11/1924 Lear.

2,221,191 11/1940 James 2061.8 2,565,912 8/1951 Davis 206-17 2,731,996 1/1956 Hayes 220-20 X 2,748,677 6/ 1956 Berlant 220-20 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,288,798 2/ 1962 France.

198,578 6/ 1922 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

MARTHA L. RICE, Examiner. 

1. A PAINT BOX COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO SEPARABLE RECEPTACLES, ONE OF WHICH IS A TRAY DIMENSIONED TO BE A CLOSE SLIDING FIT WITHIN THE OTHER, EACH RECEPTACLE BEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMENTS, THE COMPARTMENTS OF SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY PARTITION MEANS AND THE COMPARTMENTS OF SAID TRAY BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY MEANS WHICH DEFINE CHANNELS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE THE PARTITION MEANS IN SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE, AT LEAST SOME OF THE COMPARTMENTS IN SAID TRAY BEING DIMENSIONED TO RECEIVE PAINT TUBES, SAID PARTITION AND CHANNEL DEFINING MEANS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DEPTH, SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL HEIGHT OF SAID PARTITIONS IS RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CHENNELS WHEN SAID TRAY IS FITTED INTO SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE, SAID BOX COMPRISING ALSO A PLATE DIMENSIONED TO FIT WITHIN SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE SAID PLATE BEING FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF DEPRESSIONS SEPARATED BY DOUBLE WALLS WHICH DEFINE CHANNELS POSITIONED TO PARTIALLY RECEIVE THE CHANNEL-DEFINING MEANS ON SAID TRAY WHEN SAID PLATE IS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE ABOVE SAID TRAY, AND TO PARTIALLY RECEIVE SAID PARTITION MEANS WHEN SAID PLATE IS POSITIONED IN SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID TRAY. 